EARTHblog » Bonnie Gestring
Earthworks thanks Rio Tinto for its decision to pull out of Pebble Mine
Today, I’m in London to thank the British mining giant, Rio Tinto, for its recent decision to pull out of the Pebble Mine.
In another major blow to what would be (if built) North America’s largest mine built on top of the world’s largest wild sockeye salmon fishery, Rio Tinto announced last week it was divesting from the project and donating its shares to two Alaska charities. The company held 19.1% of Northern Dynasty - the sole owner of the Pebble Project.
Tagged with: mining, alaska, pebble, rio tinto, pebble limited partnership
EPA Takes First Step Towards Protecting Alaska’s Bristol Bay
It’s a great day! Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it is using its authority under the Clean Water Act to consider options for protecting the world’s largest wild salmon fishery in Alaska’s Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
The EPA is initiating a review process under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act, which authorizes the agency to restrict or prohibit mine waste disposal in the rivers, streams or wetlands that feed Bristol Bay to safeguard the salmon fishery. During the review, the EPA will rely heavily on its peer-reviewed scientific assessment of the impacts of large-scale mining in the Bristol Bay watershed, which was released in January 2014.
Tagged with: mining, epa, bristol bay, 404c
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